Often in transition, big men are taught to run right down the center of the lane to the front of the rim; this is called a rim run. If the post can beat his/her man up the floor, this can create easy scoring opportunities. However, a big key to this is making sure that the post player can catch and finish. This basketball finishing drill is designed to simulate a post player running in transition down the center lane.
He/she will receive the pass, but because of the angle or the speed of the pass, the player cannot just catch and finish without a dribble. This is where the power dribble comes in. It will allow the post player to gather and finish under control rather than just throwing up an off-balanced layup off the backboard.
Basketball drills like this are great because they allow the player to get a bunch of quality repetitions, but they also teach the player to look for these types of opportunities in a game. If you can get your post player to be thinking, “sprint” every time in transition, you are going to get a lot of transition scoring opportunities.
Basketball Drill Overview
Drill Name: Transition Rim Run Power Dribble Finish Basketball Drill
Equipment Needed: 1 basketball, a chair/cone, and a partner.
Similar Basketball Drills and Resources
- Transition Rim Run Basketball Finishing Drill
- Transition Catch and Finish Basketball Drill
- Transition Attack 2nd Defender Finish Basketball Drill
Goals of the Drill
- Work on running the floor, making a catch, and finishing with a power dribble.
Coaching Points
- Make sure that you do not travel.
- Practice running at game speed so that it is realistic.
- Get your shoulders square to the basket on the layup.
- Have a strong base when taking the power dribble.
- Passer needs to mix up the types of passes.
Basketball Drill Instructions
- Place a chair/cone just inside the half-court and line it up with the center of the rim.
- The passer will be on either wing, about even with the trash can, and the player will be next to the chair.
- When the drill starts, the player will run right down the center of the lane, and as soon as the player gets in the paint, the coach will fire them a pass.
- The player must catch the ball, take a power dribble, and then finish with their right hand on the right side and left hand on the left side.
- Players will get their own make, outlet the ball to the passer, and then run around the chair for another repetition.
- The drill can go for a certain number of repetitions or time.
